1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to an apparatus for securing laces of a shoe. The apparatus comprises a folded piece of material that can wrap around adjoined laces to ensure that said laces stay adjoined.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There currently exist several methods for securing adjoined, or tied, laces. Often these methods involve the use of fine motor skills to engage the laces. The problem of laces becoming untied is typical for all shoes containing laces. For most adults this is an annoyance that is easily overcome by the re-tying of the lace. Most adults have life experience that teaches them to retie their laces so that a dangerous accident can be avoided from the tripping over of untied laces. However, children often over look this danger because they lack life experience or the untied lace goes unnoticed. In addition, there are several occasions where adults will also notice that a lace is untied until it is pointed out to them or they trip on the lace. Therefore, there is a need to have an invention that is inexpensive, easy to use and desirable to use to prevent laces from coming untied.
The invention, in its simplest form, must be inexpensive because the use of the lace gripper will be primarily by children and they tend to destroy and lose attachable items. In addition the safety feature has to fit into a family budget.
The invention must be easy to use because the primary market to the lace gripper is going to be small children and adults who will not or cannot retie their laces.
The invention must be desirable to the user because children must want to use the lace gripper in order for it to be an effective safety measure.
The invention must keep laces secured because the safety feature is to eliminate the tripping over of laces.
The invention is also useful for adults that may not be able to tie their laces when they come undone. For example, athletes may not want to interrupt their athletic perform to tie their laces. In addition, adults may have disabilities that make it impossible or difficult to tie or retie their laces. Thus an invention to secure a tied lace is desirable for these individuals.
The invention should have optional features for users who desire more safety and are less concerned about price. These features should include signaling means to both sound and alarm and locate the user.
Past efforts have attempted to solve the problem of untied laces by providing complicated devices that integrate with laces to secure one end of the lace to another. In addition, these methods do not offer interchangeability in design that would make them universally appropriate for securing laces. An example of how these prior inventions are limited are that they require a more complicated securing process and they have only one outwardly appearance that may not be desirable or appropriate for the laces that are being secured.
None of the prior art couple the securing of laces with added security features such as sounds alarms or locating signals to find wayward users. None of the prior art provides a means for presenting interchangeable images onto shoes.
The prior art fails to teach a means for storing a key, or similar object, into a small pocket of an object that secures to one's shoelaces.
The prior art fails to teach the inclusion of an image within a transparent pocket of an object that secures to one's shoelaces. With that, it is further limited by not providing software to create such artwork using a preset image outline for such an insert, further wherein said software is available via the Internet.
Therefore, the present invention addresses the great need to develop an apparatus that is easy to use, inexpensive and desirable to use.
The present invention relates to a lace gripper that wraps around tied laces to secure the tied knot within.
The present invention further discloses an easy to use apparatus that wraps around tied laces to secure the tied knot within.
The present invention further discloses a desirable apparatus that wraps around tied laces to secure the tied knot within that may be changed in appearance to fit the activity being performed or appearance required by the user.
The present invention further discloses a desirable apparatus that wraps around tied laces to secure the tied knot within that may be configured with additional safety features from sounding alarms and locating wearers.
Nothing in the prior art references disclose an apparatus or method that utilizes a combination of these elements to facilitate the securing of tied laces.